


te amo

by thechongz



Category: IDOLiSH7 (Video Game)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, THANK YOU FOR EXISTING, happy birthday iori, i needed more ioriku in my life, idk what to tag this, this is really just a self-indulgent fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-24
Updated: 2018-01-24
Packaged: 2019-03-08 04:23:45
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13450476
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thechongz/pseuds/thechongz
Summary: “Guess who?”Iori jumped slightly in surprise, an all-too-familiar pair of hands covering his eyes and obscuring his line of vision. It was barely a moment later that he relaxed, a small smile making its way onto his face as he gently pried the hands away.“Nanase-san,” he replied without missing a beat, turning to look at the other.





	te amo

**Author's Note:**

> Happy birthday Iori! Please continue being the perfect high schooler because i7 wouldn't be complete without you ❤️

“Guess who?”

Iori jumped slightly in surprise, an all-too-familiar pair of hands covering his eyes and obscuring his line of vision. It was barely a moment later that he relaxed, a small smile making its way onto his face as he gently pried the hands away.

“Nanase-san,” he replied without missing a beat, turning to look at the other.

Riku pouted. “You’re no fun, Iori.”

At this, the younger Izumi couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle. “Of all the people in this world, I would always be able to recognise you,” he pointed out, and Riku grinned brightly in response, obviously cheering up. “But it’s late. Why are you here?”

“Ah.” Riku said, blinking as he remembered why he even came to Iori’s room. “I wanted to be the first one to wish you happy birthday! Happy birthday, Iori.”

Iori smiled despite himself, trying to ignore the blush slowly spreading across his cheeks. He averted his eyes from Riku, hand coming up to cover his mouth as he fixed his gaze on the floor. “T-thank you, Nanase-san.”

“Ehehe, what’s there to be embarrassed about?” Riku asked cheekily, and this time it was him who pulled Iori’s hand away from his face. Iori tried his best to hide the pleased smile tugging on the corner of his lips, but gave up when Riku cupped his cheeks and forced Iori to look at him. “Happy birthday, Iori,” he repeated, bending down to place a small kiss on the corner of Iori’s lips.

Iori felt his face burn up. “What was that for…”

Rolling his eyes, the redhead gave Iori an unimpressed look. “Your birthday present,” he replied seriously, and at Iori’s raised brow, Riku groaned. “Aww, can’t I kiss my boyfriend just because I want to?”

Blushing again, Iori shook his head. “You know I’m no good with affection.” That, and Iori didn’t think he would ever get used to Riku calling him his boyfriend.

 

-

 

It had been more than a year since Riku accidentally admitted that he liked Iori, as more than a friend and fellow group member. It had been on a Thursday evening, Iori remembered, and he had been dozing off on the couch while watching a movie with everyone. Apparently, he had fallen asleep on Riku’s shoulder, and the centre had told everyone not to wake him up, even after the movie ended and they retired to their rooms for the night.

Riku had probably thought that Iori wouldn’t hear him, but the younger was just waking up when Riku mumbled to himself, “Hey, Iori. You’re always nagging me and so cold to me, but why is it that I get flustered whenever you touch me, be it to fix my clothes or my hair or tell me to do something? Why do I feel so excited whenever we have schedules together, so happy whenever you praise me even for something as simple as helping out with the housework?”

Iori had tried his hardest not to move, not wanting to let Riku know that he was awake. Riku had sighed in resignation. “I’ll probably never tell you this, but I think I like you, Iori. I really do.”

As much as Iori had wanted to pretend that he hadn’t heard anything, he knew better than to miss this opportunity. Mitsuki already knew that Iori, too, liked Riku in the romantic sense, but Iori had asked his brother not to let anybody find out. Mitsuki had looked at him with a smug face, telling him, “You know, Iori, you’re actually not as discreet as you think you are.”

So, Iori had gone ahead with the logical decision, which was to ‘wake up’ and confront an extremely flustered Riku, whose face had gone nearly as red as his hair. “Iori! W-were you awake this whole time?” Riku had asked, trying to be nonchalant about it but failing miserably, his blushing and stuttering giving him away immediately. “What did you hear?”

“Everything, actually,” he said, and amazingly, Riku’s face grew impossibly redder.

“Just pretend you didn’t hear it!”

As Riku hid his face in his hands, Iori had stared blankly at the singer. “Ahhh, how embarrassing,” Riku mumbled to himself, and Iori found himself thinking, _why is he always so cute?_ Riku had gotten off the couch abruptly, stubbornly refusing to make eye contact with Iori as he said, “Goodnight!”

And Iori remembered sighing, grabbing onto Riku’s wrist and preventing the redhead from escaping. “Nanase-san,” Iori had said, moving so that he was standing in front of Riku. Riku had kept his head down, but Iori had tipped his chin up with his finger. He’d been shocked at how vulnerable Riku looked, although really it was nothing new, and couldn’t help but say, “You’re really cute, Nanase-san.”

“Eh?”

As if just realising his slip of the tongue, Iori had also panicked. “I mean- I… feel the same. About you.”

Riku had blinked so rapidly, Iori wasn’t sure how it was even possible. “You’re kidding, aren’t you?”

“I’m not.”

“Am I dreaming?” Riku had asked, and Iori, annoyed, had pinched the elder. “Ouch! What was that for?”

Iori had huffed. “You’re not dreaming, and I’m being completely serious right now, Nanase-san.”

And then Riku had broken out into the widest smile ever, throwing his arms around Iori’s neck and hugging Iori so tightly he almost couldn’t breathe. But Iori let him do it anyway, unable to help but smile as well.

It didn’t take long before the members found out; Riku wasn’t known for being good at hiding his feelings. He became more affectionate than he already was, and often smiled too brightly at Iori, was too eager to do anything that involved Iori, even though they technically weren’t a couple yet. Mitsuki was of course the first to notice this, along with Iori’s awkward responses to Riku’s affection, and had asked Iori about it within the week. “So, you and Riku…?”

“It’s not like that, Nii-san,” Iori had tried to deny, but Mitsuki wasn’t convinced, and eventually Iori told his brother what happened. And Iori soon found out, most of the others knew about Riku’s feelings as well, but clearly Iori had been too wrapped up in his own crush on the centre to notice anything.

The next to discover their newfound relationship was Yamato, followed by Nagi and Sougo, and lastly, Tamaki. Nobody judged them; why would they, when they each had something going on with someone else? On the contrary, Nagi even suggested throwing a party, to which Iori had vehemently refused, saying that there was no need to make a fuss.

It was a while before they decided to make their relationship official, although everybody already thought that they acted like a married couple, even before the confession. It was even longer before their first kiss, Iori being too awkward to initiate it and Riku worrying that he would fumble and screw up. It was on Riku’s birthday, after the centre came back from a small celebration with Tenn. Sometime before midnight, before Riku’s birthday ended, Iori made the decision to go into his boyfriend’s room and, before Riku could ask what he wanted, planted a kiss onto Riku’s lips, effectively stunning the elder into silence.

Both of them had gone beet red, and Iori quickly excused himself, heading back to his room and wanting to die of embarrassment. Likewise, Riku had been stunned, one hand coming up to touch his lips and wondering if Iori had just kissed him for the first time.

 

-

 

“Iori,” Riku whined, snapping the younger male back to reality, and Iori looked at Riku with a raised brow. “I said, it’s your birthday today, so I’ll do anything you tell me to,” Riku repeated, beaming.

Iori chuckled. “Anything?” he asked, and Riku nodded in reply. Iori pondered over this for a while, watching as Riku began to squirm impatiently before finally saying, seriously, “Okay, then I want you to leave me alone for the rest of the day.”

He was teasing; of course he was, and he thought Riku would’ve been able to tell, but the centre’s face fell almost instantly, and he looked like he was on the verge of tears as he let go of his boyfriend and nodded sadly. “Alright, if that’s what you want. I bet you never really get proper rest anyway, with me always bugging you on your days off,” Riku said, and Iori thought that he’d never felt so guilty in his life.

“Nanase-san, I was kidding,” Iori quickly said, and Riku turned around, obviously crestfallen. Iori thought that he looked like a kicked puppy, but he knew better than to tell Riku that he looked cute _now_ , so he just pulled the redhead back to him. “I was just joking,” he said again. “Sleep with me tonight? It’s been getting cold lately, and it’s been a while since we slept together.”

“Are you sure you’re not saying this to make me feel better?” Riku asked incredulously.

Iori shook his head, setting his books aside. “Come on, I’ll make some warm milk with honey and then we can go to bed,” he suggested to the still upset Riku, who finally smiled a little in response, nodding. The couple went out to the kitchen, running into Tamaki who was rummaging the fridge for pudding.

“Ah,” the dancer said as he saw them. “Happy birthday Iorin.”

“Thank you, Yotsuba-san,” Iori replied, offering a small smile in thanks as he went about making the drinks. Meanwhile, Tamaki and Riku sat at the dining table, seemingly discussing something in hushed voices. Iori wasn’t actually curious about what they were talking about, at least not until they stopped talking when he approached the table with two mugs in hand.

Tamaki excused himself, saying that he didn’t want to disturb the two, but Iori wasn’t dense enough to miss the poorly hidden wink that was shared between them. Still, he didn’t want to pry, because knowing Riku, he would likely spill the secret eventually. Instead, he passed a mug to Riku, sitting down across the redhead and sipping on his own drink.

They remained in silence for a little while, wanting to finish their drinks before it went cold. Riku finished his first, putting the mug down and fiddling around with Iori’s hand that was resting on the table. The younger didn’t mind much, and was in fact rather amused by how little it took to make Riku happy, a smile adorning the centre’s face. When Iori finished his drink, Riku was quick to snatch the empty mugs from the table and wash them.

After brushing their teeth, the couple went back to Iori’s bedroom, Riku climbing up to the bed first and Iori following behind him. The single bed was a little cramped for two grown men, but they made do as always, Iori holding Riku and Riku curling up against Iori’s chest. Iori closed his eyes, letting out a soft yawn as he got ready to sleep, when Riku’s voice broke the silence.

“Goodnight Iori. I love you.”

Iori felt his face heat up when Riku leaned up to place a peck on his lips, and he placed a kiss of his own on Riku’s forehead. “I love you too, Nanase-san. Goodnight.”

 

-

 

The next morning, Mitsuki went into Iori’s room with a cupcake in hand, having gone back to their family bakery the previous night to pick up their parents’ gift for Iori, as well as a few pastries for the youngest Izumi.

“Iori, happy birthday!” Mitsuki exclaimed, expecting Iori to already be awake despite it only being seven in the morning. Off day or not, Iori had always been an early riser, albeit a grumpy one, so Mitsuki was surprised when he didn’t see his brother at his desk, and he hadn’t been outside either. Mitsuki climbed up the ladder of the bunk bed, wanting to wake Iori up, before realising that Riku was being hugged tightly by his younger brother, just like a bolster.

What was more surprising than the fact that Iori wasn’t awake was the fact that _Riku_ _was_ , and the redhead turned to look at Mitsuki with some difficulty, smiling sheepishly at Mitsuki. “Good morning, Mitsuki,” he said as a greeting, and the elder laughed at his predicament.

“Oi Iori, wake up and stop smothering poor Riku,” Mitsuki chuckled, smacking Iori lightly on the shoulder to wake him up. The younger Izumi groaned, and instead of letting Riku go, tightened his hold on his boyfriend, causing Riku to let out a small squeak in surprise. Mitsuki clicked his tongue, rolling his eyes and hitting Iori a little harder. “You’re going to kill him if you don’t let him go,” he said.

A disgruntled Iori cracked an eyelid open, and he grumbled, “What is it, Nii-san?”

Riku was the one who replied, his voice muffled in Iori’s chest. “I can’t breathe, Iori.”

This seemed to jolt Iori awake, and he immediately let go, eyes widening in shock. “Nanase-san, are you okay?” he asked, voice tinged with panic.

Riku laughed, waving it off as he rubbed at his eyes sleepily. “It’s fine, I don’t mind being hugged to death if it’s you,” he replied, and Mitsuki howled with laughter at Iori’s rapidly reddening face. It was one thing to be cheesy when they were alone, but Riku was always so open, and Iori never really knew how to deal with it without being embarrassed.

“Anyway!” Mitsuki announced, clearing his throat. “Happy birthday Iori!”

Iori managed a genuine smile, one usually reserved for those dear to him. “Thank you, Nii-san.”

“I brought a cupcake in for you, and there are a few slices of cake in the fridge too,” Mitsuki told his younger brother, before frowning in thought. “That is, assuming Tamaki hasn’t already gotten to them.”

At this, Iori sighed and shrugged. “I can only hope.”

With a grin, Mitsuki ruffled Iori’s hair. “Enjoy your day. I need to leave for work soon.”

“Good luck on today’s show,” Riku said to Mitsuki as the elder left, closing the door behind him. Then the redhead looked at Iori, chuckling at his messed-up hair and crawling over him to get off the bed. Iori took a few moments to stretch before he went down as well, eyes lighting up at the sight of his favourite strawberry cupcake from their bakery.

The couple went to wash their faces, running into the other members who each wished Iori a happy birthday, everyone getting ready to leave for their various schedules. Iori and Riku were the only ones without anything lined up for today, so Riku had taken the liberty to plan a date, and Iori had not a single clue what they were going to do.

Breakfast was a simple affair, Iori enjoying his cupcake and Riku nibbling on a sandwich that Mitsuki had kindly prepared while they were still asleep. After they did the dishes, the pair went to find a change of clothes, and then they were putting their shoes on and leaving the dorm.

It was a short distance to the nearest train station, but the streets of Tokyo were always crowded, and Riku stuck close to Iori, not wanting to lose the other in the crowd.

“Where _are_ we going today, anyway?” Iori asked curiously as they weaved through the throngs of people, everybody walking at a fast pace to get to their destination quicker.

Riku grimaced as he was bumped into, instinctively grabbing onto Iori’s arm despite being surrounded by people who could probably recognise them. They were wearing caps and spectacles in an attempt to disguise their appearance, but they were still members of one of the top idol groups in the country, and it was inevitable that a few young women walked past them, whispering that “Riku-kun is holding onto Iori-kun, how cute!”

Riku only replied Iori’s question once they made it onto the train platforms, where they could finally breathe properly, even for a short while. “I didn’t want to tell you but since you asked… I saw online that Usamimi Friends was having an exhibition,” he said with a sheepish grin. “And there’s a cat café nearby too! We can drop by for food!”

To say that Iori looked horrified wouldn’t be entirely wrong. “People are going to recognise us.”

Sighing exasperatedly, Riku gave his boyfriend an unimpressed look. “Believe me, I think many of our fans already know that you like Usamimi Friends,” he pointed out, voice deadpan. Iori opened his mouth to protest further, but Riku continued, “And I brought a mask with me, so the cats won’t be an issue! I checked with them, and they have a dining area separate from where the cats are kept. It’ll be fine, so just enjoy today, okay?”

“Fine, fine,” Iori conceded, the corners of his lips threatening to pull his lips into a smile. “But if you start to feel uncomfortable, we’re leaving the café,” he said, leaving no room for argument. Riku simply nodded with a small chuckle; the younger was always so overprotective of him.

The train finally came, and the pair shuffled in with everyone else, and eventually they were separated by the never-ending stream of people boarding and alighting the train.

The journey was slightly less than an hour long, and by the time they arrived, it was nearly time for lunch. Riku was more than eager to lead the way to the cat café, and Iori let himself be pulled along, an amused smile plastered on his face the entire time.

It was nice to go out with Riku, but it was always nicer to see the other having fun and enjoying himself. That, to Iori, was the best birthday present that he could ever ask for.

 

-

 

The café was a short stroll from the train station, but the wind had gradually grown stronger, causing Riku to shiver and huddle closer to Iori for warmth. “I knew we should’ve dressed more warmly,” Iori muttered, abruptly grabbing Riku’s hand and shoving it into his coat pocket.

Riku blinked at Iori in mild surprise, eyes crinkling into a smile when he noticed how Iori was trying to act nonchalant – and naturally, failing miserably. They stayed that way for the rest of the walk, uncaring of curious gazes fixed on their overly intimate gesture.

Before they entered the cat café, Iori made sure that Riku put a mask on, not wanting him to breathe in all the cat fur that was undoubtedly flying around the premises. The friendly staff greeted them with a bright smile, explaining the do’s and don’ts before collecting the entrance fee and letting them into the play area.

Because it was a weekday, the café wasn’t crowded, and the couple had most of the space to themselves. Iori immediately approached one of the tabbies, his eyes almost sparkling in excitement despite the fact that he was doing his best not to break into a grin. Riku squatted down beside his boyfriend, gaze fixed on not the cat, but the younger male waving a feather toy around to get the cat’s attention.

 _Ah, I really love him,_ Riku found himself thinking. He was caught by surprise when Iori suddenly turned to look at him, probably wanting to tell him something, but the words died away on his lips, and Iori was blushing, cheeks tinged pink.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Iori asked, and if Riku didn’t know him so well, he would’ve missed the bashfulness hidden in the straightforward words.

Riku flashed Iori a bright smile. “Nothing! I was just thinking about how lucky I am,” he replied simply, knowing better than to call Iori his boyfriend while they were in public. Iori felt his cheeks heat up even more, and he directed his attention back to the cat which was only mildly amused by the toy, lazily swiping at it while lying on its back.

“…I think I’m pretty lucky too,” Iori said without turning to look at Riku, and this time it was Riku’s turn to flush at the indirect praise. He had to resist the urge to hug Iori, instead hiding his face in his hands and screaming internally about how _cute_ Iori was.

Iori spent a good half an hour playing around with the cats, or rather, those that bothered paying attention to him. Riku spent most of that time watching the younger enjoy himself. It wasn’t that Riku didn’t like cats; on the contrary, he loved animals. He just didn’t want to get their fur all over his clothes, because who knows whether it would trigger an attack?

After Iori was satisfied, and Riku got a decent collection of photos to show Mitsuki, the couple went to order their lunch, opting to go over to the side of the café which didn’t have any cats roaming inside. Iori even went through the trouble of lint rolling his clothes before joining Riku at the table, and Riku’s heart warmed at the younger’s thoughtfulness.

Riku had, unsurprisingly, ordered omurice for himself, and Iori opted for ramen, ordering cake for dessert as well. Of course Riku insisted on paying – the whole date would be on him, and he would be damned if he let Iori spend even one yen out of his own pocket.

Iori had originally rejected this, going to the point of shoving a few notes into Riku’s wallet but having them returned immediately, and he gave up with a defeated sigh. The small smile on his face betrayed him to Riku, and the redhead could tell that Iori was actually happy.

As boring as it was to talk about work every day, it was what Iori and Riku were used to. They always discussed promotion plans, concerts, albums, and the like, whether they were at work or at home. It was probably unhealthy to live life centred around being idols, but it was what they loved and the two wouldn’t change it for the world. Lunch wasn’t any different, although they did have to tone down their voices to prevent others from overhearing.

“…and we have a concert next weekend. Have you memorised the set?” Iori asked as he took another mouthful of ramen, glancing up to look at Riku and letting out a chuckle. The redhead raised a brow, clearly not understanding what was so funny, when Iori reached across the table and wiped at the corner of Riku’s mouth with his thumb. “You had some ketchup there.”

Then, belatedly, as if realising what he had just done, Iori’s cheeks slowly turned red, just as Riku’s had moments ago. “Ah, um, I mean…” the embarrassed male trailed off, glancing around to see if anyone else had seen what he’d done. He heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that most of the other customers were busy talking to each other, and he turned back to Riku, still feeling embarrassed by his own actions. “You’re such a messy eater, Nanase-san.”

“Heh, then maybe you can feed me,” Riku suggested cheekily, snapping out of the shock caused by Iori being so bold in public. His suggestion was shot down by Iori, the younger stuttering something about how it was inappropriate with all these other people around. Riku made a face; it was only because they were idols that they had to keep up an image. Sometimes Riku wondered how it would be like to be a normal couple, without worrying about how they appeared to others. “Relax, Iori,” Riku assured with a grin. “I was kidding. Maybe at home then?”

This caused Iori to blush once more, mumbling something to himself that Riku couldn’t quite make out, but was pretty sure it was about him anyway. It was always so fun teasing Iori that Riku couldn’t stop himself. Iori was never good at hiding his embarrassment. But, to be fair, neither was Riku.

They finished the rest of their lunch in relative quiet, Iori’s question from before all but forgotten as he focused on eating, ignoring the way Riku was looking at him fondly between bites of his omurice.

When they were done, they left for their next destination: the Usamimi Friends exhibition. Iori couldn’t deny that he was sort of excited, but he didn’t let it show, instead opting to keep his poker face and take pictures of the various displays.

Riku, however, wasn’t satisfied with just that. To Iori’s chagrin, his boyfriend made him take pictures _with_ the displays. It was bad enough that Riku wanted to take pictures of Iori; the latter still wasn’t comfortable with taking photos outside of work, despite having been an idol for a little over four years now. There were people, _kids_ , everywhere, and Riku was forcing a grown man to take a picture with the life-sized Usamimi-chan.

But Iori was also a sucker for Riku, and the redhead knew that, making full use of this knowledge and cornering Iori into taking photos with the displays. “You’ll regret it if you don’t!” Riku had warned him earlier on, so Iori sighed, staring blankly into the camera while standing beside each display. Riku rolled his eyes each time, shaking his head at how deadpan Iori looked, but took the pictures anyway.

So much for it being his birthday and Riku promising to do anything he said. Oh well. At least Riku seemed to be enjoying himself. There was one instance that Riku even wanted to ask someone to take a photo of them together, but in the end they opted to take a selfie instead, not wanting to draw unnecessary attention to themselves.

Since the exhibition wasn’t very big, they were done walking around within the hour, and Riku dragged Iori to the section where they sold Usamimi Friends’ merchandise. “Pick something out! I’ll pay for it,” Riku said with a grin, and Iori let out an amused smile of his own, browsing the items to find something that he could use without being too conspicuous.

He eventually settled on a small phone strap, a pink one because it reminded him of Kinako, and Riku beamed, taking it from his younger boyfriend and going off to pay for it. He waited at the side, conscious of passers-by staring at him, as if trying to figure out where they had seen him before.

Thankfully, Riku was back quickly enough, and they left the mall to take a stroll in the nearby park. It was still early after all.

 

-

 

“Oh!” Riku exclaimed, as if he just remembered something, and Iori tilted his head questioningly at the other. Digging around in his bag, Riku pulled out a small packet of what appeared to be sweets. “I saw these while I was queuing to pay and they were too cute, so I bought them,” he explained sheepishly. “Let’s take a seat and eat some.”

Luckily for them, there was an empty bench not too far away, and the couple took a seat before Riku tore the packaging open. And rather clumsily, if the way a few sweets fell out was any indication. Iori simply shot the redhead a look before picking them up; it was a good thing they were packaged separately.

Each taking one piece of candy, they sucked on the confectionery slowly, enjoying the refreshing flavours and feeling a little more awake than they were before. It was silent between the two, both boys just enjoying the other’s company, but the wind had begun to pick up again, and Riku found himself shivering, cheeks and ears turning slightly red from the cold.

Noticing this, Iori frowned.

“I saw a roadside café while we were walking here. I’ll get us some takeaway drinks and we can slowly make our way back home?” Iori suggested, smiling softly as Riku nodded. He removed his scarf from around his neck, wrapping it around Riku instead, and hoping that whatever bit of his body heat that remained on the scarf would help to warm his boyfriend. Riku had the decency to look shy, smiling happily to himself as he buried his gloved hands into the soft material.

A look of mild curiosity flashed across Iori’s face when he noticed a silver chain around Riku’s neck; Riku didn’t usually wear necklaces, because he was hardly ever careful with them and would get something caught on them. With a small shrug, Iori elected not to comment on it, instead quickly glancing around before shyly pecking Riku on the forehead.

“I’ll be right back.”

It was only after Iori was out of earshot that Riku blinked slowly, ears still red, but not just because of the cold. Then he grimaced, looking at the faraway figure of his boyfriend.

“I was supposed to pay for everything!”

With a resigned sigh, Riku took his phone out to send a quick text to the other group members, making a face at the replies he received and pocketing his phone once more. Glancing up, he saw Iori in the distance, and he began to walk over to the younger to take his drink from him.

Iori’s lips curved into a smile when he saw Riku approaching him, but the smile was quickly wiped off his face when he saw someone running behind Riku, seemingly being chased by a few other people. He thought he could make out the words “Thief!” and “Quick, get him!”, but all Iori really cared about was how the man barked a fierce “Move!” at Riku, and the redhead barely had time to turn around to look for the owner of the voice before he was shoved aside.

Naturally, Riku fell, having been caught off guard, landing on the hard, frozen ground. Iori dodged the man as he ran past him, his focus solely on Riku, and he quickly made his way over. Setting the drinks on the ground, Iori quickly ran his eyes over Riku, helping the elder up and frowning when he winced in apparent pain. “Are you okay, Nanase-san?” Iori asked, concern lacing his voice.

Riku hastily pulled down his right sleeve, which had rolled up when he fell. “I’m fine!” he replied, a little too quickly. “I’m covered in clothing anyway. I just got shocked, is all.”

“Yeah, I’m not buying that,” Iori deadpanned, and Riku flinched when Iori grabbed his right arm, pulling the sleeve back up to look at the injury properly. His brows furrowed. “You’re bleeding.”

Riku’s arm had dragged across the ground as he broke his fall, the sleeve rolling up and pebbles cutting into the exposed skin. Biting his lip, Riku took a deep breath. “It’s nothing. I can just wash it off,” he said simply, earning himself a disapproving shake of the head.

“We’re going to get this cleaned up properly at a clinic,” Iori told him seriously, and Riku simply sighed in resignation as he nodded. He allowed Iori to help him up, mumbling an apology as Iori picked their drinks up from the ground and walked to the main road to get a cab. “It isn’t your fault.”

Riku visibly deflated. “This isn’t how I wanted to spend your birthday with you.”

But he _had_ been looking for a way to stall Iori. Maybe this would work out nicely.

They cabbed to the clinic that the company insurance would cover, Iori giving Riku his drink while he went to register at the counter. With another sigh, Riku took a sip of the hot chocolate Iori had bought earlier on. The younger was always taking care of him, and even on his birthday, Riku managed to get himself in trouble. _I suck_.

It wasn’t long till Iori took a seat beside Riku, drinking his own hot chocolate quietly.

“I’m sorry, Iori,” Riku apologised again, and Iori merely shook his head.

“It’s okay,” he said quietly. “Like I said, it isn’t your fault.”

“Are you mad?”

Rolling his eyes, Iori shook his head once more. “No, just worried. What if you’d hit your head on the ground, instead of just grazing your arm?” Iori pondered aloud, grimacing and pushing the thought away. Riku let out a soft sigh, and the two fell into an uncomfortable silence.

It was hardly like this between them; either boy would always have something to say to the other, be it to bicker or discuss something. If they were silent, it was usually because they were each doing their own thing, and just wanted to be in each other’s presence. They were only ever quiet like _this_ if they had an argument. Could they consider this an argument? Riku didn’t know.

The receptionist called for Nanase Riku a few minutes later, and the two went into the doctor’s room, Iori standing at the side and taking Riku’s drink from him as the doctor took a look at Riku’s arm. After determining that the wounds were mostly shallow, he started on disinfecting the wounds, causing Riku to wince as the alcohol swabs were brushed over the injuries. His left hand instinctively reached over to hold onto the edge of Iori’s coat, and Iori finally broke into a small smile.

_What an adorable person._

They left the clinic after that, the doctor deeming the injuries superficial and not prescribing any antibiotics for Riku. Heading to the nearest train station, they began to make their way home, when Riku’s phone began to ring.

“Hello? Oh, you’re done?” Riku asked, and Iori raised a curious brow at how the redhead seemed to perk up at whatever he was being told. “Yes, I got it. See you,” he said before ending the call, and he turned to look at Iori with a smile.

Chuckling, Iori decided not to ask any questions. “I was thinking of making pasta for dinner,” he said, seeing as the sky was slowly turning dark.

Riku hummed in response. “Bolognese?”

“Okay, Bolognese then.”

 

-

 

They made it back to the dorm a little past five, having been caught in the crowd and missing a few trains. Iori had wanted to take a short nap before preparing dinner for Riku and himself, but when he opened the door to the dorm and was greeted by everyone popping confetti in his face, he knew his nap was a goner.

“Happy birthday Iori!”

Iori stared blankly at his groupmates and managers before turning back to look at Riku, who had insisted that the younger enter the house first. Just as he turned around, Riku tiptoed, meeting Iori’s lips with his own and grinning when his boyfriend’s face began to redden, and everyone behind them aww-ed. “Happy birthday Iori.”

It was only after Riku pushed him into the house, closing the door behind them and letting Iori regain his composure, that Iori managed to say a sincere, “Thank you,” to everyone who had obviously spent a bit of time setting up. He knew that some of their schedules ended earlier, and they had probably come back to the dorm immediately to put up streamers and balloons.

“Mum and Dad baked a cake specially for you,” Mitsuki told his brother, emerging from the kitchen with said cake. It was a fruit cake, beautifully decorated with roses and chocolate lettering that read ‘Happy birthday!’

Tsumugi smiled. “But first, let’s have dinner.”

Both Iori and Riku agreed with that, beginning to feel hungry, and they took their seats at the dining table. Someone had cooked up a spread, and Iori spotted a few of his favourite dishes. Before he could ask, Sougo piped up, saying, “Banri-san and I helped Mitsuki out while he was preparing these.”

And Banri made sure to add, “Don’t worry, I kept an eye on Sougo-kun while he was cooking.”

The youngest members of the group heaved sighs of relief, not wanting to be subjected to Sougo’s tendency to add tabasco sauce into everything. Nagi and Yamato helped to scoop some food onto Iori’s bowl, while Tamaki quietly slid a cup of pudding to his friend. As much as Iori wanted to tell Tamaki that he didn’t need the pudding, he knew that Tamaki seldom shared his pudding with others, so instead he only smiled and took the pudding gratefully.

They talked while eating, Iori telling the others about how Riku got himself injured, causing them to fuss over their centre. Riku huffed, making a face at Iori who obviously seemed pleased with himself for exposing Riku – Iori knew his boyfriend didn’t want the rest of the group to find out, but they did deserve to know that he was injured.

After dinner, Mitsuki brought the cake back out, lighting the candles and setting it down on the table before getting Iori to sit there. Riku and Mitsuki sat on either side of Iori, the elder Izumi slinging an arm over Iori’s shoulder and Riku wrapping his arms around Iori’s waist. Yamato smiled as he held his phone up, counting, “1, 2, 3.”

And at the last moment, Riku leaned in to press a kiss onto Iori’s cheek.

They all laughed at how embarrassed Iori got; this was a common occurrence in their household. Then, the idols sang the birthday song, wishing their second youngest a happy birthday once more as he clasped his hands together to make a wish.

His wishes used to mostly be for Mitsuki, wishing that his older brother would finally be able to realise his dreams of being an idol. After debut, it was for IDOLiSH7 to win at the year-end award shows. Now, ever since getting together with Riku, all Iori wanted was for the other to be healthy and happy.

Iori blew the candles out, smiling into the camera one more time for Banri, before he felt something cold and slightly sticky on his cheek. He turned to look at Riku, at the finger that had remnants of cream, and at a patch on the cake which was missing a bit of cream. “Nanase-san…” Iori sighed, begrudgingly allowing Banri to take a picture of him again, cream on his cheek and all.

“Can we cut the cake now? Rikkun, stop wasting cream,” Tamaki grumbled, and everyone burst into laughter again. Iori cut the cake into equal slices and Sougo helped him to pass the plates around, and the group crowded around the couch, watching TV while biting into the delicious cake from Fonte Chocolat.

After cake was, of course, the time to open presents. Not everyone had bought individual presents; Banri, Tsumugi and Otoharu had shared, as well as MEZZO”. Re:vale and TRIGGER had sent presents as well, passing them over to those who they had schedules with earlier that week.

The first present Iori opened was Yamato’s, a new wallet because Iori hadn’t changed his in some time. The managers and Otoharu had given him gift vouchers to use, so he could choose what to spend it on. Re:vale had gotten him underwear, and Iori had embarrassingly shoved it back into the bag it was originally in. TRIGGER had bought a sleek watch. Nagi got him Usamimi Friends merchandise – Iori didn’t show how happy he was at receiving this. MEZZO” gave him a new sweater.

Mitsuki handed their parents’ present to Iori first: a new backpack to use when he went out. Then Mitsuki passed his own present to Iori, grinning as his brother’s face lit up upon opening the present. It was a picture collage of Iori with the other members throughout the previous year, clearly handmade and nicely framed up. Iori sent Mitsuki a grateful smile, to which the elder replied with a thumbs up.

And lastly, it was Riku’s present.

The usually talkative centre had gone quiet, shuffling his feet nervously as he pulled a box out from a bag. It was a black rectangular box, and Riku bit on his lip as he opened it, eyes avoiding Iori’s as he let his boyfriend see what was inside.

Riku waited with bated breath for any sort of reaction from Iori, and when more than a few seconds passed, he let his gaze travel up to look at the younger, and his erratic heartbeat finally calmed itself when he saw Iori with a faint blush on his cheeks.

The gift wasn’t anything grand, really. It was a silver necklace, and the pendant at the bottom was that of the roman numeral seven. There were a few snickers from Yamato, commenting on how Riku was “cheesy as always, huh.” Tsumugi and Sougo were whispering to each other about how sweet it was, while Banri had a smile on his face and even Tamaki seemed to be grinning. Nagi was, naturally, boisterous as always, and got a hit on the head from Mitsuki for his exclamation of “Oh! It’s beautiful!”

“You’re ruining the mood!” Mitsuki hissed at the blond.

But of course their reactions weren’t what really mattered – Riku only wanted, _needed_ , Iori to be happy with the present. And judging from how shy the younger Izumi suddenly was, the redhead knew that his boyfriend liked the gift. Iori’s blush only reddened when Riku pulled out the chain around his own neck, revealing the pendant with the roman numeral one.

“Should’ve known it was weird that you were wearing a necklace,” Iori muttered, one hand coming up to cover his face so that the others wouldn’t see how embarrassed he was. Yamato was right; Riku really _was_ such a cheesy guy.

What made it worse was when Riku picked the necklace up from where it was nestled nicely in the box, going behind Iori and clasping the chain around his neck, an oddly determined look on his face. And then Riku wrapped his arms around Iori in a back hug, leaning forward to place a soft kiss at the corner of Iori’s lips.

“Oi, oi, take it to the bedroom,” Yamato joked, even as Mitsuki was busy snapping photos of the couple with his phone, and Nagi dramatically crying about how love was beautiful.

Fully satisfied with himself, Riku let his boyfriend go, and immediately Iori’s face was hidden in his hands. Just because he was comfortable around the members didn’t mean that he wasn’t still embarrassed by how forward Riku could be sometimes. _I wonder where his boldness comes from,_ Iori caught himself thinking, before remembering that Riku _was_ twins with a certain Kujo Tenn after all. _Must be in the blood._

Eventually, it got late, and Banri sent the Takanashis home while the others cleaned up. Iori was strictly forbidden from doing the dishes, despite his protests about how he should at least help to wipe the table. He was steered to the bathroom, being told that he could be the first to use the shower, and the birthday boy could only concede with a nod.

And as Iori let his body warm up in the stream of hot water, his eyes travelled to his new necklace, hanging beside his clothes, and his lips involuntarily curved up into a smile.

This was certainly one birthday he would never forget.

 

-

 

Later that night, as Iori was putting his gifts away, there was a knock on his door, and Iori didn’t even have to turn to know that it was Riku.

“What is it, Nanase-san?” he asked without turning around, and although his tone seemed to reflect little to no emotion, Riku found himself smiling. He was always able to catch the bit of affection in Iori’s voice, reserved for his family and, most recently, Riku.

“Nothing,” Riku replied, walking over to lean against the wall and watching Iori pack his stuff.

The younger shrugged, and allowed himself to finish arranging everything neatly before standing up and looking at Riku with an amused smile. “No, really. What is it?”

Riku shook his head again. “It’s really nothing. I just wanted to tell you that I love you.”

Iori felt his heart flip in his chest – how Riku always managed to do this to him, he would never know. But when he crossed the distance between them in a few strides, for once boldly hooking his arm around Riku’s neck and pulling him into a kiss, Iori was proud to say that he had the same effect on his redheaded boyfriend.

It was only after they broke apart, lips slightly red and breaths slightly ragged, that Riku shuffled his feet and finally said, “I wanted to ask if I could sleep with you again tonight.”

And Iori smiled, that soft curve of his lips that could make anyone’s heart stutter, that same gentle smile that made Riku fall in love with the younger all over again. “You don’t need to ask, Nanase-san. You’re welcome to sleep with me anytime you want.”

Riku huffed, feigning annoyance when all he felt was flattered. “Is that so.”

Rolling his eyes, Iori replied, “Yes,” and, in a smaller voice, “only for you.”

The couple went to brush their teeth together, just as they had the night before, and Iori let Riku climb into bed first again. Settling into their usual positions, the couple lay together in silence for a few minutes. The only sounds in the room were that of their breathing and the air-conditioning.

It wasn’t until Riku was about to drift off to sleep that Iori broke the silence, saying, “Thank you for today, Nanase-san. I enjoyed myself. And don’t you go and apologise again for getting injured.”

Even with the lights turned off, Iori knew that Riku was probably smiling. “Mm, I’m glad you did,” Riku sighed contentedly, snuggling his face deeper into Iori’s chest and taking a deep breath. Iori always smelled so good. “Take good care of the necklace, okay?”

At this, Iori let out a chuckle. “I think that advice is best given to yourself.”

“Hey!” Riku huffed indignantly, smacking Iori’s chest even as he laughed. Iori could picture what Riku’s expression looked like, despite not being able to see the centre’s face. “Don’t be rude to your elders!”

Tightening his arms around Riku, Iori buried his face in Riku’s hair, nuzzling it with his nose. “It’s true and you know it,” Iori stated matter-of-factly. “But of course I’ll take good care of the necklace. I really like it a lot, cheesy as it is. Thank you.”

“Hehe, you’re welcome. I need to thank your parents too, for giving birth to such a great person.”

“Now you’re just spouting nonsense,” Iori chuckled. “We should sleep. It’s another early day tomorrow.”

Riku couldn’t agree more; his eyes were already fluttering shut. “Goodnight, Iori. I love you.”

Iori hummed in response. “Goodnight, Nanase-san. I love you too.”

**Author's Note:**

> To be very honest this entire fic was me wanting to see ioriku doing the "guess who?" thing from the summary and somehow it evolved into this... also if anyone hasn't noticed the word count I made sure to make it a very very nice number hahahaha I hope you guys enjoyed this!


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